The Girl Who Loved Jacob Black
by CharlotteWarren
Summary: Melody James has always been confident. When she moves to La Push, that confidence is tested when she realizes her crush, Jacob Black, is already head over heels for Bella Swan, the girl he has recently began a tentative but genuine friendship with. Love is cruel, but Melody can't give up. Will Melody's story end in heartbreak? Set in New Moon era, AU, OC.
1. Fresh Meat

**Just a story I'm writing for fun. I've always loved OC + Jacob pairings, and it's time I write one. I hope you all enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight saga by Stephenie Meyer. All canon characters and story lines belong to her. OCs are mine.**

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 **The Girl Who Loved Jacob Black**

 **By Charlotte MacGregor**

 **Chapter One: Fresh Meat**

"You two are so childish," said a husky voice coming through the door with equal parts annoyance and amusement. It was a pleasant voice, boyish but masculine, and I wanted to see who it belonged to, but also wanted to appear confident and nonchalant.

"You're just mad because we caught you with Bella Swan," said another male voice.

A third voice chortled with laughter.

"Just stay off my land," warned the husky voice in a laughing tone. The sounds of a scuffle ensued and I waited until it ended to finally turned around from where I had been trying to decide between a Snickers bar and a box of Skittles.

I looked towards the front of the small store, where three tall boys were grabbing sodas out of the cooler. The tallest one, about six feet tall I guessed from comparing his height to my own five foot seven, had his back to me. But I could guess that he was handsome, from the long, raven black hair that hung down his muscular back and the beautiful warm red-brown of his skin. His friends were facing me as they scanned an assortment of chips. One was shorter and burly with a buzz cut and a wide grin as he teased his friends. The other was taller but still shorter than the long haired one, and had chin length hair parted down the middle and a slight dimple in his chin. They both had skin very similar to the warm brown of the tallest one's.

I finally decided on the Skittles and walked to the counter before the boys finished their selections and formed a line. As I was paying the cashier, the shorter guy said, "Hey, I've never seen you before. Where'd you come from?"

The cashier handed me my candy and my change and I turned to face him. "I just moved here," I said. "My mom's on a business trip for a few months, so I'm spending some time with my dad."

The long haired one was finally facing me and walked over to join his friends, and I tried very hard not to stare. He was good-looking like I had guessed, but even more so. He was downright beautiful, and I felt my face get hot as I quickly averted my gaze. Even with my eyes no longer on him, his dark, deep set eyes lingered in my mind.

"Well, welcome to La Push. I'm Quil Ateara," the shorter boy flashed me a cocky grin, "And this is Embry and Jacob." He gestured to each friend. The beautiful one was Jacob. Hearing his name made my face heat even more. I kept my eyes on Quil, who obviously thought the blush on my light brown skin was due to him. I wanted to roll my eyes.

"Nice to meet you," said Embry.

"I'm Melody James. It's nice to meet you as well," I said politely, allowing myself to look at Jacob long enough to acknowledge him. He and Embry returned my smile, and they both seemed a little shy. "I've gotta run," I said, feeling ridiculous at the way my heart had raced when Jacob's pink, full lips spread slightly to smile at me. His cheekbones were high in his broad face, his brows dark and serious. _So handsome,_ I mentally sighed as I hurried from the store.

Quil followed me out, his friends staying to pay for their snacks. "Wait up! You must be Eliam's daughter. He's the only James on the rez." Quil's tone was conversational, but I didn't miss the way he was checking me out. I fought a sigh. He was _so_ not my type. I wished Jacob had followed me instead.

"Yep, that's my dad," I replied, hoping my short reply would send Quil the message. He didn't seem put off, unfortunately, and walked with me the short distance to my dad's house, keeping up a constant chatter the whole time. Finally, we got to the door of my house.

"I live just behind the store," Quil said, jerking his head towards the way we'd came. "We should hang out sometime."

"Maybe," I said, flashing a smile to soften the obviously uninterested reply, "See you around." I ducked into my house before the boy could make anymore suggestions. When I peeked through the curtain, he was walking away with a bounce in his step and a triumphant grin on his face. What would he tell his friends about our walk? I was already fantasizing about spending time with Jacob, and if this Quil messed that up, I would be supremely annoyed.

"Kill me now," I moaned as I turned from the window.

"What's wrong?" My father, Eliam called from his place at the small kitchen table. He was carving a small fish out of of wood.

"Quil Ateara might be interested in me. That's what's wrong."

My dad laughed and put his project down on the table to look at me. "Quil is a funny kid. But you are a very beautiful girl, Melody. All the boys here will be interested in you," he said warmly, his dark, slanted eyes kind.

"You have to say that, Dad," I grinned. "Besides, I'm just fresh meat." My dad laughed heartily, and I thought, not for the first time, that it was no wonder that my mother had fallen in love with him twenty years ago. With his copper skin tone and his high cheekbones and strong jaw, any woman would have to be blind not to recognize his beauty. He had a few strands of gray littered through his thick, long silken mane, and his eyes had a few faint lines around them, but he made being a forty-one year old dad of three look good.

"You are that," my dad agreed laughingly, "But trust me, the novelty is only part of it. Faith and I might not have been quite right for each other, but we made some beautiful kids."

"Okay, Dad, yuck. No one wants to think about you and Mom _making_ anyone," I said with a shudder. My dad's laugh followed me as I went upstairs to where my small bedroom and bathroom were the only rooms.

I got on my laptop, a Christmas present from Mom, and checked Facebook. Alyssa, a friend from back home in L.A., had tagged me in the photo we took with our friend Reggie when they saw me off at the airport. I smiled and left a comment, and then stared at the photo for awhile.

I thought about Jacob as I scanned my demurely smiling face. Did he think I was pretty? Quil certainly seemed to, and most of the males I encountered seemed to. Light brown eyes, slanted like my dad's, stared at me from the computer with a playful gleam. My hair, long, wavy, and very black, billowed around me. I scrutinized the clear, light brown skin, the full, rounded lips I had inherited from my mom, and the high cheekbones. People thought I looked more like my dad than my mom, and I mostly agreed. My mom was beautiful, dark-skinned with very coily, thick hair that she wore in a huge afro, but we had little in common besides our light brown eyes, the color of honey, and full lips.

I closed my computer feeling a little more satisfied. I was very pretty, and I had always known that. Did Jacob think so?

Pulling my flute out from its case, I began to play to take my mind of of the silly crush I had developed this afternoon. My dad had crafted this instrument for me, and as the sound of the TV downstairs lowered in volume, I knew he was listening. I played a traditional Quileute song for him, and let the music carry me away to a place where there was no Jacob, the beautiful but unknown boy who had invaded my head.

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 **Please review! I'd love to hear your thoughts on my first chapter. Thanks for reading!**

 **\- Charlotte**


	2. Embry

**Thanks to everyone who has read so far.**

 **Chapter Two: Embry**

There were seven kids, including me, in my first class of the day at Quileute Tribal School. Embry and Jacob were among them.

When the teacher, Mrs. Gordon, asked me to introduce myself, I inwardly groaned. There had been five hundred kids at my high school in L.A. in the freshman class alone, and because I was at this tiny school where nothing interesting ever happened, I was actually being forced to introduce myself.

I stood up at my desk in the back row reluctantly, facing all six of my peers. "I'm Melody James. I just moved here from Los Angeles," I announced.

All of my peers, except for Embry and Jacob, were staring at me as if I was a celebrity popping in for a surprise visit.

"Melody is the daughter of Elias James," Mrs. Gordon told the class. I wasn't surprised that the teacher already knew who I was.

"Your dad built my grandma's kitchen table," one boy with two long braids told me.

"And my best friend's desk," said another girl, flashing me a friendly smile.

"Cool," I smiled politely.

Mrs. Gordon, or Mrs. G as she instructed me to call her, had the class introduce themselves. The boy with the two long braids was Daniel and the girl with the friendly smile was Theresa. Then there was Fern and Quatori.

"We've already met Melody," Jacob said, looking at the teacher. His tone seemed polite but uninterested. I wanted to die.

"Oh, wonderful! I'm glad you've already made some friends, Melody. Why don't you join Embry and Jacob so you won't be all alone back there?"

I forced myself to smile amiably as I brought my school bag to the desk closest to me in Embry and Jacob's row, which thankfully was next to Embry, who was now seated between Jacob and I. I thought about how self-assured I had always been, and how Jacob's presence absolutely vanquished that confidence. I couldn't believe how much I was letting a boy I didn't even know rattle me. _He's just a cute guy. Get it together. Embry is cute, and you're not freaking out over him,_ I scolded myself.

Embry smiled shyly at me as I sat down, tucking his chin length hair behind one ear. Something about his expression made my next breaths easier, and I settled into my seat with a smile for him that didn't have to be forced. "Hi," I said quietly.

"Hi," he said in his gentle voice.

I listened carefully and took notes during the lesson, which was on the tribes of the Pacific Northwest. Luckily, the subject matter was pretty interesting, helping me to forget Jacob's presence, if only every now and then.

After the hour was up and we were packing our things, the teacher gave me some forms for my dad to sign. "Welcome to La Push," she told me with a smile. I thanked her and stood to leave.

"What class do you have next?" Embry surprised me by asking. He hadn't said a word to me all class beyond the quiet "Hi."

I looked at my arm, where I had scribbled my schedule. "General Science 3," I replied.

"Us too," he smiled, gesturing to Jacob. "There's only fourteen of us, including you now, in the sophomore class. You'll be seeing the same kids all day."

I tried not to grimace. I had figured as much, but the confirmation didn't make it any easier to accept. "This is a lot different than my school in L.A.," I finally managed to say.

Embry chuckled as he led the way to a classroom down the hall. "Why didn't you go to Forks High School? It's definitely not overflowing, but we make it look like a big city school."

I tried to word my next words politely, very aware at Jacob's quiet presence at my back. "My mom is African-American, and she isn't very concerned with me learning more about my Quileute side. Mostly because she resents my dad, I guess. She wanted me to go to Forks High while I'm here, but my father refused. He wants me to be with other Quileutes."

"Makes sense," Jacob surprised me by chiming in. I looked over at my shoulder at him, licking my lips nervously as my mouth went dry at his glittering gaze on mine. "You're not a pale face, why pretend to be one?" His grin, showcasing straight, white teeth with sharper incisors than normal, made my face hot.

Embry laughed and I smiled as we entered our next class. Quil was already seated in the center of the front row. "No," the quiet moan escaped my lips before I could stop it. Embry looked at me and followed my gaze, his smile sympathetic upon seeing Quil. I flushed with embarrassment.

"He's pretty into you," Jacob whispered with that quick grin I was learning to anticipate, catching the interaction between me and Embry.

 _I'm pretty into_ _ **you**_ _!_ I shouted mentally, already foreseeing that Quil's interest in me would keep me from ever getting close to Jacob, if the two guys were as good of friends as I guessed.

"Wanna walk home with us?" Embry offered at the end of the day as we stood on the front lawn waiting for Jacob and Quil. Out of my six classes that day, Embry had been in all of them. Jacob had been in four, and Quil had only been in two, luckily. Embry didn't talk much, but his kindness was very appreciated. All of my sophomore classmates were friendly and obviously enjoying the novelty of my arrival, but it was nice to not have to seek anyone out to sit with at lunch or for partners in class projects. Embry had welcomed me into his little group and I was grateful, even if Quil was a suffocating flirt.

"Is it bad that I rather go ahead to avoid Quil?" I grimaced.

Embry smiled, and I wished that I had developed my ridiculous crush on him and not Jacob. Although I didn't know Embry well yet, he was cute and sweet. He would be a lot less stressful to like.

"Do you want me to tell him to back off?"

I couldn't imagine Embry telling _anyone_ to back off, much less his best friend.

I shook my head. "Nah, he'll eventually get the hint. Thanks for today," I said, surprising myself by reaching out to squeeze Embry's hand. His cheeks were pink as I hurried off toward home.

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 **Please review and thanks for reading!**


	3. Stood Up and Ran Off

**Sorry for the wait on the new chapter. I have to admit my motivation to write is low when I don't get much feedback (reviews), but I will try my best to update at least weekly. Happy reading!**

 **Chapter Three: Stood Up and Ran Off**

The next three days were a lot like the first. I sat with Embry, Jacob, and Quil for lunch and dodged Quil's perpetual advances. They all included me in the conversation, although Jacob didn't seem anymore interested in me than he had from the beginning. My pride was wounded; I had already been asked out by a few different guys at school and of course Quil, and there was a constant buzz about "the new girl." And yet, Jacob didn't seem to see me as a pretty girl at all. He smiled at me about as often as he smiled at his friends and in the same way, and he never sought to be alone with me. The worst part was, he often seemed to be mentally elsewhere and couldn't be called the life of the party anytime. Whatever had his attention, it wasn't me.

I joined them on the walk home on Friday, more used to Quil's flirting and coming to receive it more light-heartedly. Embry and I hung back a bit, letting Jacob and Quil walk ahead. Jacob was always in a rush to be somewhere, though I wasn't sure where exactly, and Quil couldn't heckle me for long before he had to get to his part-time job at the gift shop. Embry and I didn't talk much, but with him it wasn't awkward like it might have been with anyone else. Besides, he had mentioned at lunch that he wasn't feeling well, so I didn't force conversation.

By the time we reached my house, Jacob and Quil were gone. "I hope you feel better," I said offhandedly to Embry, thinking about where Jacob might be always rushing off to as I ascended the three stairs to my front door.

"Did you want to hang out later?" I looked at Embry, blinked once. "I know there isn't much to do around here, especially with it being cold out and all." He said when I didn't reply, looking at the ground and rubbing the back of his neck.

 _Crap,_ I thought, disturbed at the sight of Embry apparently embarrassed and uncomfortable because of me. "We could just walk around," I quickly suggested. "I've been wanting to do some exploring."

Embry smiled at me tentatively, causing my own mouth to lift at the corners. "I'll come by in two hours? I've gotta do my homework first or my mom will bite my head off."

"Sure, I've got homework too. See ya," I replied with a laugh before entering my house. I felt the urge to peek out the window to see Embry walk away. _Whoa, that was fast,_ I thought with shock. He was already out of sight.

Two hours passed, then two and a half. Three hours after Embry and I had parted, I decided that he must have gotten busy with homework or didn't feel well enough to come. I donned my coat anyway, wishing I had Embry's cell number so I could check on him. I wasn't sure where he lived, although it couldn't be far in such a small village, but I set out to explore and perhaps find him anyway.

The air was damp with oncoming rain, and the wind was cold and sharp. I ambled past the modest and sometimes ramshackle houses until I neared the beach. As I gazed out at the ocean, appreciating the view, I thought I heard laughter carried on the wind. It sounded a lot like Jacob, but I couldn't be sure. I looked around, but didn't see anyone. A particularly fierce and cold wind, even colder coming off the frigid sea, stole my breath for a moment, and I lifted my scarf to cover my face and adjusted my hood before turning away from the gray waves. As I hurried away from the beach, I heard the laughter again. _That's definitely Jacob._

I followed the direction of his voice for a only a few minutes until I came to a small wooden house with fading red paint. I could definitely hear voices now, Jacob's and a higher, feminine one contrasting sharply to his own husky tenor. Curiosity compelled me to quietly skirt the side of the house until I could peek around the back. There was a thick stand of trees and shrubbery with a well worn path leading through it, but nothing to explain the occasional, faint sound of voices I heard. I was just resigning myself to my unquenched curiosity, not willing to risk being seen if I snuck along the path, when I heard people coming out of the front of the red house.

Without thinking, I sprinted into the trees. There would be nothing more humiliating than being caught sneaking around what I guessed was Jacob's house. I waited a few minutes, thinking to escape to my house as quickly as possible. Then I heard Jacob's warm laugh again, and figured since I was already sneaking around that I might sneak a little further into the woods. I slowly crept down the well-worn path until a small shed came into view. I ducked behind the wide trunk of a tree and swallowed as I finally got the answers I'd been looking for the past several days.

Jacob was sitting with a girl, touching his soda can to hers before they each took a sip. He looked… happy. Perhaps "happy" was too strong a word for what the girl looked, but she definitely was smiling as she continued to chat with Jacob. My eyes narrowed as I looked her over. Pale skin, long brown hair, wide chocolate colored eyes with dark circles under them that hinted at either depression, lack of sleep, or both. Her build was small and slight, her bone structure fine. She was not beautiful, but had a face that was interesting enough to pass for admirable. Compared to my own red-brown skin, lean but curvy body, and raven black hair, me and this girl were opposite in almost every way.

I watched as Jacob leaned in with a teasing smile on his face, saying something I couldn't quite catch, and Bella responded with a head thrown back in laughter. Jacob's eyes didn't leave her face as the laughter forged a wide smile glittering with perfect teeth across her face. I turned and swiped at wet eyes as I stumbled towards home, heedless of being seen at this point.

 **Thanks for reading and please review. It will really help motivate me to post more quickly.**


	4. Emily

**I do not own Twilight. Melody, her family, and a few background characters belong to me. The rest belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

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 **Chapter Four: Emily**

As I approached my house, I tried to adopt a calm expression so my dad wouldn't ask me questions. Before I could open the door, he swung it open, his tall and lean frame filling the doorway. "Mel, I'm glad you're home. We have company."

 _Good, Embry is feeling better,_ I thought with a small uplift in my spirits, expecting to see Embry waiting for me in the living room to apologize for not showing up for our walk. Instead, I was greeted by a beautiful but disfigured young woman of about twenty years old. She had three long scars on the right side of her face from hairline to chin and they extended down her right arm to her hand. The scars pulled at her right almond shaped dark eye and the right corner of her mouth. Aside from this, her skin was red-brown and clear and her hair glossy black. She was one of those women with effortless and natural beauty.

"Hello, Melody," she smiled as she rose from her seat on the couch, the left side of her mouth lifting in what once was a breathtaking smile. "I'm Emily Young." I shook her outstretched hand and told her I was pleased to meet her, forcing direct eye contact to avoid staring at her scars.

"Emily dropped by to welcome you to La Push, so I'll just let you young ladies get acquainted," my dad smiled, heading out the back door to his workshop. I forced down a sigh of irritation. All I wanted to do at this point was go to my room and sulk.

"So, what do you think of La Push so far?" Emily said as I took a seat on the couch beside her. "Made any friends?"

I shrugged, my mind filling with the memory of Jacob and the girl he clearly had feelings for. "I haven't gotten to explore much. I've made friends with a few people from school." I realized my tone was flat and uninterested, but couldn't gather the emotional strength to change it.

Emily smiled kindly. "I'm sure it must be much different than your school in L.A. Who have you met so far?" _Of course she'll know everyone I mention in this nowhere town._

"I've mostly hung out with a few boys from my classes. Embry, Quil, and… Jacob," I said, shifting my gaze away from Emily's.

Emily's smile fell, her eyebrows knitting together, and she looked away from me. _What the…?_

"Nice boys. What do you think of your classes?" Emily's voice when she recovered rang with forced cheer.

 _Oh, no you don't,_ I thought, determined to know why she had nearly flinched away from the names of my new acquaintances. "They're okay. Embry was supposed to show me around after school, but he never showed. This is a small village, do you know where he is?" I realized that this was a long shot. Just because Emily lived in La Push and knew everyone, that didn't mean she knew exactly what everyone was doing all the time.

"My fiance, Sam, told me Embry was sick. That's probably why he didn't show up. Why don't you call Quil or Jake? I'm sure they'll be happy to show you around this weekend." Emily had stood up and was shrugging into her coat. I stood up too.

"Embry's sick? Do you know his number, or could you get it from your fiance? I'd like to check in on him," I said, truly worried now. Had Embry been hurt? Why was Emily acting so strangely about it?

"No, no," Emily said hurriedly, grabbing my forearm as I reached for my cell phone. I flinched and she dropped her hand. "Uh, Sam said the doctor said it looks like mono, and that stuff is super contagious. Embry's probably resting, maybe give him a few days? I gotta run!"

"Wait, can you call me if you find out anything else?" I asked, following her to the door.

"Your dad has my number, text me. It was nice meeting you, Melody," Emily said with a quick, stiff smile before rushing out the door and down the road towards town.

"Dude, what the hell?" I whispered, watching the girl disappear from sight.

I was making myself a grilled cheese sandwich when my dad came through the backdoor. "Is Emily gone already? That was fast. Hey, is that grilled cheese?"

I wordlessly began preparing my dad a sandwich. "Dad, do you know Embry Call? He's in my grade at school."

My dad rooted around in the fridge for milk, pouring himself a glass as he answered. "Sure, isn't he one of your new friends? He's always with Quil and Jacob. Quiet, but seems like a good kid."

"Emily said he was sick, but he seemed fine at school today. She said it's mono and told me not to call for now." I finished cooking my sandwich and flipped it onto a plate.

"Oooh, mono. Nasty stuff. He'll be home for awhile with that. It's probably best that you let him get his rest," my dad said, grabbing the sandwich that I had made for myself and taking a huge bite.

"Daaaaddd!" I moaned. My dad chuckled and dodged my jab. My mind went to Jacob as I finished the second sandwich and sat down to eat it. I wanted to ask my dad about the girl I had seen him with, but my dad either wouldn't know or would tease me about my interest. I finished my food and ascended to my room, claiming I wanted to get a good night's rest for the exploring I planned to do tomorrow.

As I climbed into bed and got comfortable, a wolf howled somewhere in the distance. It was a melancholy, plaintive sound. I shivered as I slipped into a restless sleep.

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 **Thanks for reading! Please review with your thoughts. See you in a week!**


	5. Cliff-Diving and Pacing

**Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed my last chapter and the story so far! Thanks for your patience also. I'm going to go ahead and announce that I won't be promising regular updates anymore because I feel bad when I don't stick to it. I still plan to continue to write this story, but updates may be a little sporadic. I might update a week later sometimes, or a few weeks later other times. Thanks for understanding!**

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Chapter Five: Cliff-Diving and Pacing

I woke to a cold and rainy Saturday morning, so I braced myself for a quiet day in the house. To keep myself from obsessing over Jacob and Embry, I spent the morning checking in via phone call and video chat with my mom and twin siblings, Justice and Judah, who were in college together. Then I studied for Math and History. I spent the evening on the screened in back porch with my dad, alternating between sketching, practicing my flute, and watching the rain.

On Sunday the rain had cleared up enough for my dad and I to get breakfast in Forks and then come back to La Push for a walk along the beach.

"Hey, what are they doing?" I asked after spotting a group of shirtless boys atop a cliff. They looked very small from our place on the shore.

My dad peered up at the place I had indicated and scowled. "Probably cliff diving. Promise me you'll never do that. It's very dangerous." I shivered as I thought of how cold the water must be on a day like this.

"Melody?"

"You have my word," I mumbled, my eyes locked on one figure that stood out from the rest. His skin was the same reddish-brown as his companions, his hair dark and short, but his height and lanky build reminded me of Embry's. _That can't be him, there's no way he'd be able to be out here if he has mono._

"Who's up there?" I asked, hoping my tone was casual enough.

My dad squinted at the boys who were busy shoving each other around, dangerously close to the cliff's edge. Although I knew they were diving for fun, my stomach still seized as I watched the tallest among them dive from the cliff before piercing the water with precise technique. "Looks like Sam Uley and his friends. Sam is Emily's fiancé. Usually with a couple of kids named Jared and Paul, not sure who that fourth boy is."

A rusty red pickup truck that was ambling down the road along the cliff stopped abruptly and out jumped a small, pale female. I could hear her yell of shock from the shore. My heart thumped painfully as her thick, long brown hair and casual dress gave her away as the girl I'd seen with Jacob on Friday. Sure enough, Jacob got out of the passenger seat, his laughter echoing down to us.

"Looks like Chief Swan's girl's got some common sense," my dad said, watching with me as Jacob seemed to be explaining the situation to her. My dad shook his head and turned to walk in the other direction.

"Who's Chief Swan?" I reluctantly tore my eyes away from Jacob to join my dad.

"He's the police chief of Forks. That's his only child up there, Bella. She moved here about a year ago."

I rolled my eyes. _Her name means 'beautiful swan?' Give me a break._

 _ **Later that evening**_

"Mel? You've got a visitor."

I hurried down the stairs. _Please be Embry or Emily with news about Embry,_ I prayed.

"Hey, Melody."

I fumbled to find my next words when I saw Jacob standing, or rather towering, in my doorway. _Is he taller than he was when I first saw him?_ His long, silky hair was down, he was wearing a brown t-shirt that clung to his muscled chest and arms, and I just about wanted to die. The only thing that stopped me from salivating on the spot was the concerned expression knitting his thick brows together and the thin line of his full lips.

"Uh, Jake, hi. Come in," I told him, my voice coming out in an embarrassingly dry rasp.

Jake walked a few steps in the foyer and stopped, looking pointedly over my shoulder. I looked, and my dad was standing there looking very indiscreet, pretending to organize coats on the coat rack.

"Dad?" I said.

"Oh, did you two need privacy?" my dad asked, his eyes wide.

"I'd like to speak to your daughter about a private matter. No offense, Mr. James," Jacob explained as he rubbed the back of his neck, his cheeks a little pink.

My dad looked at me for my reaction and I glared at him with all my might. _If you ruin this, I swear to God..._ I tried to convey with my eyes. My dad raised his hands in surrender, smirking, and headed out back to his workshop. I briefly thought with amusement about how much less strict he was than my mom, who would have told us "children don't get privacy in my house."

"So, what's going on?" I asked, sitting down on the couch. Jacob joined me, chewing on his bottom lip and clasping his hands together before resting them in his lap.

"It's about Embry…"

I sat up straighter at Embry's name, instantly distracted from the sight of Jake biting his lip. "Yeah, I heard he had mono."

"Yeah, that's what I heard too. But today I saw him cliff diving with some of Sam's guys. He cut his hair short like theirs and got a tattoo." Jacob's hands were clenched into fists in his lap now.

 _So that_ _ **was**_ _Embry on the cliff…_

"Why would people be lying about him being sick? Emily Young told me he had mono." I stood up and began to pace back and forth in front of the couch. "Why would he cut off his hair? A tattoo? And what do you mean, 'Sam's guys'?"

"I thought you might know something. You and Embry have spent a lot of time together this week. He… talks about you, a lot."

 _God, it's only been a_ _ **week**_ _since I first saw them all in the store._

I tried to ignore the last part of Jacob's sentence as I continued to wear a path in the rug. "He was supposed to show me around after school on Friday, but never showed," I explained, my eyes hard on my pacing feet. "Emily came over that night to meet me, and told me Sam told her Embry had mono. She acted pretty weird when I wanted to know more, left in a hurry and everything. I haven't been in touch with Embry at all. I don't even have his number."

Suddenly, Jake leapt up and grabbed both of my shoulders, forcing me to stop pacing. The presence of his big, very warm hands sent a hot blush to my face. "You're driving me crazy with the pacing," he said with a slight grin, his deep brown eyes on mine.

"Sorry," I breathed, not able to articulate anything more intelligent with this guy I had been obsessed with standing so close to me, touching me. He smelled masculine and woodsy, like pine and earth. "Bad habit." Jacob's hands dropped, leaving me cold, and he stepped away, clearing his throat.

"His number wouldn't do you any good. I've called him and he doesn't answer. Even his mom says she's barely seen him these past two days."

I shook off the thrill coursing through my blood, determined not to make a fool of myself in front of this boy who clearly didn't return my interest. I tried not to think of the reason _why_ he was the only boy who seemed totally oblivious to my beauty. I wasn't arrogant, but I knew I was attractive and was used to it being noticed.

"You're worried." I watched as he ran his hand through his hair, crossed his muscular arms over his chest, stared past me out towards the back of the house. "And that worries me. Do you have _any_ clue what's going on? I've only known Embry a week, after all. I've only been here since last Saturday"

Jake blew out a gusty sigh and looked down at me, his eyes a little wide with… fear? I took an involuntary step towards him, reflexively reaching out to touch his arm. He didn't move away from my touch, and my heart started beating a little faster. His skin was really hot, almost like he had a fever.

"Sam is kind of… weird. He's been watching me like he's... _waiting_ for me to join his dumb gang. Now Embry's avoiding me and hanging out with _them_ , the same guys we made fun of for thinking they were some kind of… _protectors_ or something."

"Protectors?"

"Yeah, Sam and Jared and Paul. That's what they call themselves."

"Who are they protecting? And from what?" This was getting more and more confusing.

Jacob laughed, but it was without humor. "Who knows? I mean we aren't exactly known for crime here. It's just some dumb tribal thing, but now that they have Embry, I'm a little freaked. My dad thinks I'm being silly. He keeps telling me I'll 'understand someday.' Whatever the hell that means."

I thought about my kind, soft-spoken friend and his chin-length hair shorn down. I absent-mindedly dropped my hand from Jake's arm, stepped away to pace.

"What can we do, Jake?"

"I don't know." His voice was sad, fearful.

"We've got to do _something!_ " I declared desperately, sickened at the waver of emotion in the voice of this normally strong, self-assured guy.

"Trust me-" Jake began, before his eyes widened at something over my shoulder.

"Wha-?"

Glass shattered, cutting me off. Time slowed as Jacob threw his big body over mine, tucking me into him as he brought us crashing to the floor and rolled to the side of the room, just in time to avoid the shattering backdoor and the horse-sized wolf which was prowling in the spot we had just stood in.

The hulking, silver furred wolf bared his fangs at us in a low, menacing growl.

I screamed.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Well, this chapter did not turn out how I expected it to. I was trying to stick pretty closely to the timeline of** _ **New Moon**_ **, just with Melody inserted, but now things are going to be a little off with these most recent developments. Also, I realized while writing that in** _ **New Moon,**_ **Embry is acting weird and missing school a few** _ **weeks**_ **before** **Jake sees him cliff-diving with Sam, and in this story it's only been two days. So yeah, the story is going to become a little bit more AU from this point on, while still being somewhat linear to the events of the book.**

 **I'd love to know what you think and hear your feedback, so please review! Thanks for reading!**

 **\- Charlotte**


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